Australia

One of the most isolated of all countries, Australia is the largest island nation in the world. Fewer than 20 million people live there, however, and its dry interior -- the Outback -- is sparsely inhabited in contrast to its busy coastal cities. Barren though the land seems, it harbors a unique plant and animal life and has been home for 50,000 years to Aboriginal peoples. Europeans used it as a convict colony before agricultural and mineral wealth encouraged the arrival of a range of immigrants who shaped a self-reliant national character. Australia's diversity is reflected in the adventurous mix of influences in its art, music, literature, and architecture. Book jacket.